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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 American Silver before sterling
 Charles Page
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| Author | Topic: Charles Page |
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ahwt Posts: 2355 |
posted 02-27-2006 04:34 PM
  
Below are pictures of a curious little (length of 4 15/16”) spoon; perhaps a mustard spoon. The mark is C*PAGE; most likely for Charles Page of Staunton, Virginia. The spoon has a well formed shell bowl and a nice V drop. The mark is on what I would consider the top of the spoon while the decoration, in the form of wriggle work or roulette work, follows the outline of the spoon on the bottom of the spoon. When one uses the spoon the mark is visible and only if you lay the spoon down with top side down is the decoration visible. Also the handle extends straight back of the bowl without the usual bend. Cutten’s book on Virginia silversmiths does not state that Page was a silversmith, but rather clockmaker and jeweler. Perhaps he had a quiet afternoon one day and thought he would learn the silversmith trade by practicing on this spoon. I am curious if anyone knows of other pieces with Page’s mark. I am guessing that it is Charles Page from Virginia as Cutten does not actually show any mark attributed to page. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2355 |
posted 03-01-2006 12:00 AM
A learned friend of mine has pointed out the obvious. This "spoon" started its life as one half of some nice sugar tongs. After the tongs broke, a thrifty silversmith fashioned this spoon and perhaps another one from the other leg. I questioned the talent of C. Page too soon. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 02-13-2007 08:53 PM
Not that it sheds a lot of light on your piece here, but it might interest you to know that there was a Charles Holcomb Page who fought in the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. His occupation is listed as a silversmith, and he enlisted as a private on 23 April 1861 in the 11th Infantry Regiment VA. His regiment fought all over Virginia and in North Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The ones that made it through that war from beginning to end, especially as infantryman, truly amaze me. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 02-13-2007 10:43 PM
The 1860 U. S. Federal Census has a 23 year old CHS H Page residing in Lynchburg, VA whose occupation is watch repairer. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2355 |
posted 02-14-2007 07:28 AM
Thanks for the interesting information Bascall. No birth date is listed for the Charles Page listed in Cutten's book, but as he was in business by 1801 this Charles most likely was too old to be either of the Pages that you have identified. It seems that there were several Pages that were either silversmiths or in a trade where they may have sold silver. Catherine Hollan, the author of Three Centuries of Alexandria Silver should have a new book out soon on Virginia silversmiths and perhaps she will have more information on the Page family. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 02-15-2007 05:05 PM
My guess is that Charles Holcomb Page and CHS H Page are the same person. And it's true your "spoon" does look too old for this Page. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 02-15-2007 05:19 PM
I have a question that is very loosely related to your spoon because it involves the possibility of an original article being altered. A few years ago, I attempted to sell a coin silver pitcher for another party that had the maker's mark inside of the the handle instead on the bottom of the pitcher. Someone suggested that the handle may actually be a spoon that was added to an unmarked pitcher, so I did not go through with the sale. I have absolutely no idea what became of that pitcher, but since then, I've wondered if the marking was correct after all. Does anyone have any advice about this? Are American silver pitchers, bowls, cups, etc. sometimes marked anywhere other than on the bottom? [This message has been edited by bascall (edited 02-15-2007).] [This message has been edited by bascall (edited 02-15-2007).] IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2355 |
posted 02-16-2007 10:02 AM
I do not recall seeing any American pitchers with marks on the handles. It does seem an unlikely place to put the mark, but that does not mean it could not happen. A repair is best if it blends in, complements the original item or adds something of a historical note. Do you still have a picture of the pitcher? I find alterations can be interesting at times, but it really dependent on the skill of the person making the change and the reason behind the change. I really like this temperance cup (Connections with the past)as it speaks to an interesting chapter in out nation's history. Another form of repair that we look for are ceramic and glass items that were stapled back together and became usable again. Ceramic tea pots with tin spouts are a clear contrast to the throwaway society of today and provide, for me at least, a good window to look at the past. IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 02-16-2007 12:07 PM
Who was the maker of that pitcher? There is a pitcher marked by Joseph Lownes inside the flat, reeded handle. I have never seen another so marked, but I have no reason to believe the handle is not original to the pitcher, and it certainly was never a spoon. There is plenty of room on the flat bottom for a mark, so I cannot even begin to know why it was not marked there. My only guess would that it could have been brought in uncompleted and he made and added the handle, or else provided the handle to another maker who did not mark the bottom. The pitcher is almost identical to a teapot by Lewis and Smith that is marked on the flat bottom. Both are contemporary Philadelphia makers, and it is not uncommon to find identical pieces marked by different silversmith/retailers. A handle could be removed and replaced to make a piece match another and make them appear en suite - this would not be considered a repair, but a modification, as there may not have been any damage originally. In this case the pieces each bear different initials and were not obtained together - one was sold in North Carolina and the other in New York. The teapot has a wooden handle, but a matching sugar bowl could have had handles like that on the pitcher, which is consistent with its style. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 02-16-2007 03:29 PM
Sorry, can't remember that maker. If it comes to me or I get with the person that it belonged to , I'll post the name. It was a desirable southern maker and an 18th century piece, so initally it generated a lot of interest when I had it up for sale. The location of the maker's mark was near the top on the under side of the handle. It was a convincing enough handle; it didn't put up any "red flags" for me. It was just the odd location of the mark. [This message has been edited by bascall (edited 02-17-2007).] IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2355 |
posted 05-09-2023 07:14 PM
 The mark on this piece is not shown by Ms. Holland so there is good reason to believe it was not made by Charles Page. While looking at the piece I did notice this time that the flat surface of this piece shows a very slight sign of copper. Also the edges appear to have a rim of silver soldered on. That would mean, with my limited understanding, that it was Old Sheffield Plate. The top of the leg is quite thin but one can see there the copper between two thin layers of silver. IP: Logged |
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